Device for recording telephone conversations.



G. JOHNSTON.

DEVICE FOR RECORDING TELEPHONE CONVERSATIONS.

' APPLICATION 111w DEC. 14, 1915.

11 Pawn-Q11 111C. 5, 121111 W WITNESSES: I l/Vl/E/VTOR @fiffA/HQW Mwsrm;

GREENHOVV JOHNSTON, 01E RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONEJ-IALF TO JAMES W. GRAVES, 0F RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

DEVICE FOR RECORDING 'llIELEPIII-IONE CONVERSATIONS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 14, 1915. Serial 1? 0. 66,772.

To all whom itmay 00mm.- 1

Be it known that l, GREENHOW JOHN- s'rox, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Devices for Recording Telephone Conversations, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for recording telephone conversations, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention .is to provide a device which may be used in connection with an ordinary telephone, such as a desk telephone, and an ordinary phonograph of the cylinder type, for recording the entire conversation between two parties who are using the telephone.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described in which the spoken sounds and those produced. by the vibration of the diaphragm of thereceiver of the telephone are ampli' tied or intensified so as to produce recordable impressions on the phonograph cylinder through the medium of the ordinary phonograph needle.

A further object of my invention is to provide a sound amplifying device, the interior of which is provided with a series of members adapted to vibrate in such a way as to reinforce the sound waves and to cause a louder and moreint-ense sound.

A further objectof my invention is to provide a device having a sound amplifier which is of a simple nature and is comparatively cheap to manufacture and which amply fulfils the purpose intended.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention well be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which- Figure 1 is a sectional view through the sound amplifying box, the other parts of the apparatus being shown in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a section along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view of the means for connecting the telephone transmitter with the sound amplifying casing. Fig. 1 is a section along the line 4t of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of the clamping mechanism for connecting the receiver, transmitter, and phonograph to the sounding box.

In carrying out my invention I make use of a sounding box or sound amplifier. This consists of an outer casing 1 made preferably entirely of wood and put together without nails or metal of any kind. This may be accomplished 1n one or more ways, as for lnstance by using glue or by doveshown.

Disposed in the interior of the casing 1 and extending downwardly and toward one .and it will be noted that they are thicker at their bases where they join the casing 1 and taper: off to an edge. It will also be observed that these members 2 have teeth 3 and furthermore that the members are corrugated as shown at 4 in Fig. 4, on both sides of the vibratory members. These vibratory members are also secured to the casing 1 without the use of nails or metal. As will be observed from Fig. 1, the vibratory members 2 increase in length and size from one portion of the sound box to another.

Extending upwardly and being inclined in the opposite direction from that of the first mentioned vibratory members, are additional vibratory members 6. As will be seen from Fig. 1, these members are substantially parallel with the first mentioned vibratory members They are, however, of

tailing, or by the use of pins, etc, not

the same nature and tend to make a circuithe diaphragm is provided with a series of transverse ridges X which tend to deflect sound upwardly toward the opening 8 in the casing 1 at whibh opening the mouth- The latter communicates with the interior of the casing 1 at its top. In Fig. 3 I have k shown the means which is preferably used for securing the tube to the transmitter, but it will be understood that any suitable means might be used without departin from the spirit of the invention.

the yoke 16.being secured by means of a a similar manner.

The means shown in Fig. 3 consists of a bracket 15 secured to the mouthpiece M of the tube F, while a yoke 16 is arranged to straddle the transmitter body T, the ends of spring 17 or in any other suitable manner. Similar means is used to hold the telephone receiver and 'the phonograph mouthpiece in position to be in communication with the interior of the box 1. I

P From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood.

' Let us assume that the subscriber has a desk telephone, and that the recording de-- vice consists of a sounding box having connections with the telephone setas well as with a phonograph. Normally the telephone receiver IS on the hook and central is called and connection is secured in the ordinary manner. While the operator is making the connection the receiver R is placed in position over the opening 20 in the casing 1 and is clamped by means of a locking de-- vicewhich I have denoted in general by L but which may be in fact the same as that already described in connection with vFig. 3.

The tube F is connected to the transmitter in Now when the party ariswers, the operator may start the phonograph going in any suitable manner. This is usually done by a foot switch, but the means for doing it form no part of this present invention and therefore are not shown. When the party atthe calling end of the line, i. 6., at that end at which We have assumed the recording apparatus to be situated talks into the mouthpiece 14, the sound is carried into the interior of the sound intensifying box 1 and is there amplified by the vibrations produced in the vibratory'members 2, 6, and 21, the latter being similar in constructionto the vibratory members 6 and 2. The sound passes in the direction indicated by the arrows and is deflected by the partition or diaphragm 7 toward the mouthpiece S) of the tube 10 leading to the phonograph 11 where the sound is recorded. At the same time the sound vibrations pass through the tube F and the transmitter T, and are thence transmitted over theline to the calledparty.

The replies of the called party are received in the receiver R. Part of the sound vibrations therein produced pass toward one end of the box to which the phonograph is connected, and part pass to the other end of the box through the pipe 12 to the earpiece 13. In each instance. and especially in the transmission of the sound to the phonograph, the sound is amplified to a considerable extent by the vibrations which are set up in the vibratory -members 2, 6, 91 and 7. hen the conversation is ended, the receiver R may be restored to its place on the hoolr'and the tube F may be removed from the transmitter. The complete record of the conversation will then be upon the cylinder of the phonograph 11.

The making of teeth on the vibratory members 2, (3, and 21 and the corrugations of the diaphragm 7, together with the fact that the diaphragm is constructed with a comparatively thin central portion, tends to make these parts exceedingly sensitive to sound vibrations so as to act in sympathy with the sound waves and thereby, by supplementing/these waves, add to their intensity and hence to the loudness of sound.

I. claim 1. The herein described apparatus for reco rding telephone conversations, which consists of a sound amplifying box, a mouthpiece connected with said box, a phonograph having connection with the interior of the box for receiving sounds from the box, and a transmitter also having connections with the box for receiving sounds from the box.

2. The herein described apparatus for recording telephone conversations, which consists of a sound amplifying box, a mouthpiece connected with said box, a phonograph having connection with the interior of the box for receiving sounds from'the box, a transmitter also having connection with the box for receiving sounds from the box, and a telephone receiver having its diaphragm in communication with the interior of the box.

3. The herein described apparatus for recording telephone conversations, which consists of a sound amplifying box, a inoutlr piece connected with said box, a phonograph having connection with the interior of the box for receiving sounds from the box, a transmitter also having connection with thebox for receiving sounds from the box,- a telephone receiver having its diaphra gin in sound tube for connecting said mouthpiece and said earpiece with the interior of said sounding box.

5. In a device for recording telephonic conversations, the combination with a phonograph and a telephone having a receiver and a transmitter, of a sound amplitying box, separate means for detachably connecting the transmitter of the telephone, the receiver of the telephone, and the phonograph with the interior of the casing, a

mouthpiece, an earpiece, and means for establishing communication between said mouthple'ce and said earplece and the intenor of said sound amplifying box.

6. In a :device for recording telephonic conversations, a sound amplifying box, a plurality of vibratory members on the inside of the box, a phonograph, means for connecting the phono raph with the interior of said sound ampli 'ying box, a telephone receiver, Ineansfor connecting said telephone receiver to the interior of the box, a telephone transmitter, means for connecting said telephone transmitter with the-interior of the box, a mouthpiece and an earpiece, and means for connecting said mouthpiece and said earpiece with the 1nter1or of the box.

7. In a device for recording telephonic conversations, a sound amplifying box, a plurality of vibratory members carried by the walls of the box, means for, transmitting sounds from the exterior into said box,,and

a deflecting diaphragm disposed at one end of said box. 1

S. In a device for recording telephonic conversations, a casing, a series of vibratory members secured to a wall of the casing and extending inwardly, a second series secured to the opposite wall and extending in the opposite direction, the members of one series alternating with the members of the'other series whereby a circuitous path for the sound waves is effected.

9. In a device for recording telephonic conversations, a casing, a plurality of substantially parallel vibratory members rigidly secured to said casing at their bases and extendinginwardly into said casing, theends of said vibratory members being tapered, and said vibratory membersbeing 'progressively longer from one end of'the series to the other.

10. In a device for recording-telephonic conversations, a casing, a plurality of substantially parallel vibratorymembers rigidly secured to said casing at their bases and extending inwardly into said casing, the ends of said vibratory members being tapered and said vibratory members being progressively longer from one end of the series to the other, and each of said vibratory members being provided with a series of teeth.

- 11. In adevice for recordingtelephonic conversations, a casing, a series of vibratory members secured to a wall of the casing, each of said vibratory members comprising a plate having a broad base adjacent to the wall and tapered toward its opposite end, the opposite'sides of each of said plates being corrugated, and each of said plates bearing teeth at their tapered ends.

12. In a device for recording telephonic conversations, a casing, a series of vibratory members secured to a wall of the casing, each of said vibratory members comprising a plate having a broad baseadjacent to the wall and tapered toward its opposite end, the opposite sides of each of said plates being corrugated and each of said plates bearing teeth at. their tapered ends, said plates being substantially parallel and varying progressively in size from one end of the series to the other.

. 13. In a device for recording telephonic conversations, a casing, a series of vibratorv 'meinbers secured to a wall of the casing,

each of said vibratory members com n'ising a plate havlng a broad base ad acent to the wall and tapered toward its opposite end,

.each of said vibratory members comprising a plate having a broad base adjacent to the 'wall and tapered toward its opposite end,

the opposite sides of each of said plates being corrugated and each of said plates bearing teeth at their tapered ends, said plates being substantially parallel and varying progressively in size from one .end of the series to the other, a second series of vibratory plates extending from the opposite wall and alternating with those of the first series whereby a circuitous path is.

effected for the sound waves, and a diaphraa'in having corrugations on one side, said diaphragm being disposed transversely of the first named vibratory members and the transmitter with the interior of the spaced apart from the ends of the latter. sounding box for transmitting sounds, and

15. In a device for recording telephonic means fortransmitting sounds from the ex- 10 conversations, a sound amplifying boX, a terior of said box into the interior thereof 5 phonograph, a telephone having a receiver and for transmitting sounds from the inand a transmitter, separate means for con: terior of the box to the exterior thereof. nect-ing the phonograph, the receiver, and GREENHOW JOHNSTON. 

